Dr. Eydelman Wins SCCM Award25 January 2015

Congratulations to Las Vegas EM PGY2 resident Leon Eydelman, M.D. for winning an award for his research! Dr. Eydelman won the Emergency Medicine Section Travel Grant to attend the Society for Critical Care Medicine Annual Congress for his study Sedation and/or Analgesia Following Emergency Department Endotracheal Intubation. Click on the image of his poster to read more.

"The World's Toughest Medical Team"15-16 November 2014

Las Vegas EM continues to make a name for itself in the realm of event medicine and mass-gathering medicine. This weekend, multiple EM residents and ED nurses, under the direction of attending Chris Krall, M.D., provided care for participants of The World's Toughest Mudder extreme endurance event. The medical tent was staffed for 30 continuous hours and the staff was responsible for treating illness and injury as well as assessing each participant's safety to continue the grueling 24-hour event. The weather took a turn for the worse on Saturday night (check out the amazing video here) and many participants were treated for dehydration and hypothermia as well.

Las Vegas EM at the LV Marathon16 November 2014

Whether participating as runners, or staffing the medical tents, Las Vegas EM has been heavily represented at another Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon. Our physicians have provided medical support for the Las Vegas Marathon for the past several years, under the direction of Christian Young, M.D., EM faculty and residents have the opportunity to serve as medical team volunteers in the on-site medical tents, where they provide immediate care to runners and determine whether transport to an emergency department will be necessary. This is one of the largest marathons in the country and provides experience with the out-of-hospital management of a unique patient population.

Dr. McCourt Wins Prestigious Award16 October 2014

Dr. J.D. McCourt will be one of the five recipients of the 3rd annual Inspired Excellence in Healthcare Awards. Dr. McCourt is the Vice-Chair for Clinical Operations and the Medical Director for UMC's Adult Emergency Department. Dr. McCourt is one of the pioneer emergency physicians who helped create Nevada’s first and only emergency medicine residency program, graduating more than 50 board certified emergency physicians to date. Dr. McCourt inspires excellence because he leads, educates and impassions those who follow in his footsteps, exemplifying that treatment through compassion and dignity from those on the front lines of medical care in emergency medicine can have the greatest impact on a patient’s treatment and ultimate outcome.

Congratulations Class of 2014!!21 June 2014

CONGRATULATIONS to the Las Vegas EM class of 2014!! On Saturday night we graduated our 6th class during the annual graduation ceremony and awards banquet at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. We are very proud of this class and all that they have accomplished in the past 3 years! Look out for these 8 outstanding emergency physicians as we are confident they will do great things. The 2014 class page will soon be updated to show where each resident will be working. Check out the awards from the night:

Resident of the Year: Shadi Lahham, MDPediatrics Resident of the Year: Steven Elsbecker, DONellis AFB Resident of the Year: Adam Berkovits, DOResearch Resident of the Year:Adam Berkovits, DOResident of the Year (Nurses Vote):Steven Elsbecker, DOIntern of the Year:Sean Weaver, DO

Core Faculty of the Year:Ketan Patel, MDClinical Faculty of the Year:Devon Moore, MDPediatrics Faculty of the Year:David Nelson, MDNellis AFB Faculty of the Year:Joseph Sontgerath, MD

May S.O.T.M.7 May 2014

A 57-year-old man was brought in by EMS after having a witnessed “seizure.” The patient was walking down the street when, all of the sudden, he collapsed and hit the back of his head on the concrete. He had brief full body convulsions. He said that he had had some seizures as a child but had not had any in many years. He had no history of syncope. Vital signs were normal and the physical exam was otherwise normal except for a small occipital hematoma. Evaluation in the emergency department included CBC, chemistries, CT brain, and CT C-spine, all of which were unremarkable. This patient was evaluated by emergency medicine resident Dr. Curtis Waite (PGY-2), and attending Dr. Amy Urban. They were concerned that what was being called a seizure may have actually represented syncope. They ordered an EKG.

Visit our FOAMed Blog Page for a more detailed description of the case with teaching point!

Dr. Berkeley Wins AAEM Award26 April 2014

Program Director Ross Berkeley, MD, FAAEM, FACEP wins a 2013 AAEM Mitchell Goldman Service Award which is given to individuals who made an outstanding contribution by supporting AAEMs educational mission by teaching at oral boards review courses. Dr. Berkeley brings this expertise to the residency by designing an outstanding mock oral boards program!

Dr. Mercer Wins AAEM Award6 March 2014

Congratulations to Las Vegas EM's own Meaghan Mercer, DO who was awarded the American Academy of Emergency Medicine's (AAEM) Resident of the Year Award for an emergency medicine resident who has made outstanding contributions to AAEM. Strong work Meaghan! Way to represent LVEMR! We are proud of you.

The Goodman CompetitionEM2 Tony Zitek, MD takes 2nd place!

On January 31, 2014 the University of Nevada School of Medicine held the 4th annual Philip H. Goodman Competition to recognize resident excellence in critical appraisal of a scientific paper. Dr. Zitek presented the paper "Targeted temperature management at 33C versus 36C after cardiac arrest" by Nielsen et al. which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in December 2013.

He delivered a dynamic lecture and an outstanding analysis of the paper focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of the study as well as its implications for our emergency medicine practice. Great job Tony!

January S.O.T.M.22 January 2014

The Case: A young patient with a history of thalassemia B presented to our emergency department with a
sharp, pleuritic chest pain, lightheadedness, and shortness of breath. These symptoms had been present for 3 days. She also had some heavy vaginal bleeding over the last 7 days. Her vital signs were T 98.3, HR 127, BP
112/73, RR 19, and O2 sat 88% RA. Her exam was only remarkable for bilateral lower extremity
edema and scant blood in the vaginal vault. Labs included Hgb 6.9, BNP 328, Trop 0.06, and
Preg test negative. Her EKG showed sinus
tach and s1q3t3. Her CXR was normal. Dr.
Steve Elsbecker, and attending, Dr. Amy Urban, were concerned for a pulmonary
embolism, so a CTA of the chest was ordered.
The CTA revealed extensive bilateral pulmonary emboli. The patient was given 2 units pRBCs and started on a heparin
drip. Dr. Elsbecker then performed a
bedside echo and saw right heart dilation.

Dr. Elsbecker and Dr. Urban felt that this patient would benefit from thrombolytics, but they were concerned about giving systemic thrombolytics to a patient who has been having menorrhagia and who already had a hemoglobin of 6.9. They decided to call interventional radiology to arrange for a pulmonary angiogram and catheter-based t-PA. Interventional radiology successfully performed catheter-based t-PA on this patient. She was then admitted to the ICU. After about 24 hours in the ICU, she was downgraded, and shortly thereafter, she was discharged home.

Visit our FOAMed Blog Page for a more detailed description of the case with teaching point!

Las Vegas Marathon19 November 2013

On Sunday night Las Vegas EMR physicians provided medical support for the Las Vegas Marathon. We have provided this support for the past 7 years, under the direction of Christian Young, M.D. EM faculty and residents had the opportunity to serve as medical team volunteers in the on-site medical tents, where they provided immediate care to runners and determined whether transport to an emergency department was necessary. This is one of the largest marathons in the country and provides experience with the out-of-hospital management of a unique patient population. In addition, 6 faculty members, 7 residents and many emergency nurses competed in the event this year!

A Glimpse at Orientation13 November 2013

Match Day Coming!2 February 2014

Well, we have finally completed interviews for the 2014 residency application cycle and we look forward to match day. To all of the applicants that visited us at UNSOM - we truly enjoyed getting to meet you! If you have any questions about our program, please spend some time on this website and do not hesitate to contact any of the faculty or residents for clarification. Try to RELAX as you make your rank list. Make the decision based on what is best for you and your family. You were all very qualified applicants and we know you will become great doctors wherever you land!

November S.O.T.M29 November 2013

The Case: An elderly diabetic male presented to our emergency
department with generalized weakness that had been progressive over the last 10
days. The patient was unable to give any
other specific complaints. His exam was
notable for tachycardia and suprapublic tenderness. The finger stick glucose performed in triage
was elevated.

This patient was seen by 2nd year EM resident,
Anna Healey, and attending, Jamie Baydoun. They were concerned for DKA and possibly a
UTI. They were not surprised to find that the
patient had a UTI, and also had DKA with a glucose of 777, a bicarb of 12, and
an anion gap of 18 and acute renal failure.

After receiving 2 L of
saline, the patient had almost no urine output. At this point, they decided to ultrasound his
bladder and found what appeared to be
a large bladder mass. The patient was then taken to IR for placement of emergent
nephrostomy tubes. A follow up CT scan confirmed the bladder
mass, and subsequent biopsy revealed a bladder sarcoma.

Analysis: When a patient has DKA, we are taught to consider possible
precipitating factors for the DKA. In
medical school, I was taught the three I’s --- insulin (noncompliance),
infection, and infarction. In this case,
the underlying cause of this patient’s DKA was probably the bladder mass, which
led to the UTI and systemic illness, making this a rare case in which cancer
was the cause of the DKA. This patient’s acute kidney injury and poor urine output led
Dr. Healey and Dr. Baydoun to investigate him for urinary tract obstruction,
which turned out to be the key to this case.
Their excellent care of this complex patient allowed for rapid diagnosis
of this patient’s cancer, and this was the Save of the Month in our emergency
department.

Lake Mead EMS Training13 November 2013

In Las Vegas we are lucky enough to be surrounded by many beautiful national parks including Zion, Grand Canyon, Death Valley and Lake Mead. Keeping with our strong roots in event, wilderness, and EMS medicine we have created a relationship with the park medics and set up park medic refresher courses with all of these sights. We not only provide medical service but also help teach others.

This week Emergency Medicine Residents Kellen Galster, Casey Fox, Meaghan Mercer, Anne Goshgarian, Walter Grenell, Mike Holtz, and Leon Eydelman created and taught a full day refresher course for Lake Mead park medics. Medic’s credentials ranged from EMS-B to Paramedics and we made sure to create scenarios that could tailor to all skillsets.

Lake Mead was created in 1935 when the Hoover Dam was constructed and is located approximately 30 miles from the Las Vegas strip. Nearly 8 million people visit the recreational area every year to go boating, hiking, fishing, and to partake in other desert activities.

Life is Beautiful27 October 2013

Event medicine is a huge part of what we do here in Las Vegas. From weekend festivals like this to weeklong events like Burning Man, our program is actively involved in planning and providing medical services for participants. It is one more way we can serve our community while practicing medicine in unique and challenging settings. Be sure to come out next year for this incredible festival. Check out lifeisbeautifulfestival.com for details on next year's event schedule.

The first ever "Life is Beautiful Festival" was held in Downtown Las Vegas October 26th and 27th. Approximately 60,000 festival attendees enjoyed concerts as well as food, art and education booths. As with any event this large, emergency medical service was required. Overseen by our own Research Director David Slattery MD, Las Vegas Fire Department provided ALS support for the event. Along with the local fire department, Emergency Medicine Residents Chau Tran MD, Jeff Hall DO, Steve Elsbecker DO and Anne Goshgarian MD assisted with on-site medical care. Complaints ranged from syncope and chest pain to blunt trauma after large metal columns fell and struck two patients. Overall though, the event was a huge success. Chefs, artists, educators and bands from all over the world converged on downtown Las Vegas. Alabama Shakes, Capital Cities, Childish Gambino, Zedd, Beck, Empire of the Sun, Kings of Leon, Passion Pit, Pretty Lights, and Vampire Weekend were among some of the bands playing for this year's crowd. Crowd favorites and local bands Imagine Dragons and The Killers drew huge audiences as well.

Walk With a Doc19 October 2013

October 19th marked our first installment of "Walk With A Doc". Partnering with UMC, residents and faculty from the Emergency Medicine Residency Program met with community members for a Saturday morning walk through the Springs Preserve. This event connects local physicians with the community and gives participants a chance to ask health related questions while getting in shape. The turnout was better than expected for this initial event and we hope that each subsequent "Walk" brings out more of our local community.

Our program was represented by faculty JD McCourt, Jamie Baydoun and Kelly Morgan, as well as residents Kersten Milligan and Steve Elsbecker.

We hope to see you for the next event on November 14th at Springs Preserve.

For more information about the organization "Walk With a Doc" click here and here.

Burning Man 20136 September 2013

Black Rock Desert, NV - In the middle of the Northern Nevada desert, 68,000 "burners" gathered to celebrate radical self reliance, radical inclusion and spontaneous self expression. Burning Man has grown since coming to Nevada in 1991 by tens of thousands and with this massive growth in population, the need for high quality medical care has skyrocketed. That is where we, the Las Vegas Emergency Medicine Residency Program, comes in.For the past 3 years, our residents have traveled up to this austere environment to practice medicine in a way that no other program can offer. While in Black Rock City, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics, EMTs and medical students cared for 3,000+ patients over the 8 day event. Some of the common conditions encountered included burns, lacerations, fractures, corneal abrasions and "playa foot" which was due to the highly alkaline soil. Our residents also cared for dozens of truly sick patients each day, mostly caused by various drug ingestions. It was quite challenging as most patients had ingested multiple drugs and rarely presented with a pure toxidrome. Also, due to the tall structures in the area as well as the volume of traffic at night, occult trauma was difficult to rule out as the cause of these patient's altered mental statusAnother unique aspect of the care provided was that the services rendered in Black Rock City were completely free. Patients could come to Rampart Medical Center without worrying about their ability to pay. This resulted in a much stronger provider-patient relationship and more "thank yous" than I have ever experienced. Residents that participated included Drs. Berkovits, Elsbecker, Friend, Kwak, Shank, Beckman, Galster, Hall, Mercer, and Zitek. We were also joined by former graduates Drs. Westin, Sempsrott and Hodnick. The operation was headed up by our very own Dr. Bryan Bledsoe.We owe thanks to the Winnemucca EMS system and Louis Mendiola. We look forward to providing high-end care to "burners" for years to come.

The Art of Decision-Making3 September 2013

Check out the latest AAEM-RSA President's Message from our own PGY-2 Meaghan Mercer, DO. Here is a sample from "The Art of Decision-Making" up now on the AAEM website:"As residents, we seek the key that will unlock the door to excellence in EM. The art of this specialty lies in cultivating rapid cognition and learning to trust your ability to make a decision quickly under stress."

Kellen Gallster, MD Wins August "SOTM"28 August 2013

Congratulations to Kellen Gallster, MD who won the August 2013 Save of the Month Award! Kellen was on the scene at a recent lightning strike that injured multiple people. He rapidly triaged patients and arranged transport to the hospital. All the patients survived and are doing well. Good job Kellen!

Research Poster Award28 July 2013

PGY-3 Adam Berkovits, DO, Joshua Parker, MD and Ross Berkeley, MD took runner-up in the poster competition at the EMP Leadership Forum in Canton, OH for their poster, "Emergency Department Vital Signs are not Predictive of Rapid Response Assessment Team Activation and Early Clinical Deterioration After Arrival to a Medical Floor." Congratulations!

Resident Teaching Honor Role6 July 2013

Congratulations to recent graduate Justin Sempsrott, MD who was recently recognized as an outstanding teacher on the 2013 Resident Teaching Honor Role at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. The Honor Role is chosen by a vote of third-year medical students after completion of their clerkships.

Way to go Justin!

Congratulations to the Class of 2013!!Las Vegas EMR graduates 5th class22 June 2013

Saturday night marked our final farewell to the class of 2013. This year's ceremony was held at the Artisan boutique hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of the highlights of the night was the awards ceremony which included the following:

We appreciate the time and effort this graduating class has put in to the program. Jay Feldman, Travis Grace, Ryan Hodnick, Mike Miller, Danielle Mianzo, Justin Sempsrott, Richard Sweeney and Greg Truax, you will be remembered. Good luck in your next endeavors! Make us proud!

Ryan Hodnick, DO wins May "SOTM"5 June 2013

Congratulations to Ryan Hodnick for the May 2013 Save of the Month Award! He wins the award for one of the less glamorous aspects of emergency medicine - the coordination of care. Dr. Hodnick treated a gravely ill patient with a very rare condition and was able secure transfer from the emergency department to an accepting hospital in another state - to one of the world's experts in the condition! His case was chosen for SOTM because it highlights the diverse talents of the emergency physician.

Drs. Beckmann and Patel compete in CPC at SAEM 15 May 2013

Melissa Beckmann, M.D. (resident )and Ketan Patel, M.D. (faculty discussant) competed today in the CPC competition at SAEM. Both represented the Las Vegas EM Residency very well. Melissa was very well prepared, poised, kept the audience and judges entertained with just enough "Vegas humor" and delivered a national-level presentation! Ketan gave one of the best teaching presentations at CPC that I have ever seen, and best of all, did this while nailing the diagnosis! Congrats to both on a job well-done!

Justin Sempsrott, MD wins April "SOTM"1 May 2013

Congrats to Dr. Sempsrott for April's SOTM! The "Save of the Month" is awarded to a resident and the team he or she worked with on a case in which exceptional patient care was provided resulting in a good outcome. Dr. Sempsrott rapidly diagnosed basilar artery occlusion in an obtunded patient. He then coordinated care among multiple specialists in order to get the patient to IR rapidly for clot retrieval. The patient had a great neurologic outcome. Dr. Sempsrott's SOTM highlights the importance of UMC's Code White Stroke Program. Strong work Justin!

Melissa Beckmann, MD wins inaugural "SOTM"23 March 2013

Congratulations to PGY1 Resident Melissa Beckmann, MD for receiving the first Save of the Month (SOTM) Award. The "Save of the Month" is awarded to a resident and the team he or she worked with on a case in which exceptional patient care was provided resulting in a good outcome. This March 2013 Save of the Month was awarded during EM conference to Dr. Beckmann for placing bilateral chest tubes in a patient in PEA and achieving ROSC. Pictured showing great enthusiasm and support for her colleague, Anne Goshgarian, MD.

Meaghan Mercer, DO voted President of AAEM Resident and Student Section!21 February 2013

Congratulations to PGY1 Resident Meaghan Mercer as she is elected President of the AAEM Resident and Student Association, (AAEM/RSA). As President she will be responsible for running the AAEM/RSA board of directors. Dr. Mercer will take her presidency post in mid May 2013. Mercer is currently serving as Committee Chair.

Dr. Michael Epter, DO, FAAEM was presented the AAEM Joe Lex Educator of the Year Award at this years 19th Annual Scientific Assembly on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. This award recognizes those individuals whom have made an outstanding contribution to AAEM through work on educational programs. Joe Lex, ( pictured on the left) presented this year's award.

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